For now… Yes, for now the Muslims spread throughout the world are like meek lambs, undoubtedly laughing up their sleeves at the westerners in their search for peace and union with them. We aren’t saying this with our head in the clouds; rather, with great certainty after having examined certain exhortations of the Koran. We all know that this is the sacred book of Islam, the literal and eternal word of Allah and his prophet Mohamed, to whom every Muslim owes absolute fidelity.

The migratory explosion that we witnessed mainly in 2015 reminds us of the story of the Trojan War. After ten long years of siege on the city of Troy, the Greeks were unable to conquer it. Using the symbolic figure of a horse — which was one of the symbols of Athena, the goddess of war, and by legend also a sacred figure for the Trojans — the Greeks constructed a wooden image of great dimensions. After hiding their best warriors within it, the rest of the Greeks soldiers pretended their return to Greece. Seeing the image of the horse, the Trojans did not know what to do with it, but finally decided to carry it into the city in order to praise the goddess Athena. At night, while the entire city slept, the soldiers emerged and began to destroy the city from within, opening the doors to the rest of the army that had hidden on the nearby island of Tenedos, while waiting for the favorable moment of the invasion. In this manner, Troy fell into Greek hands.

Unlike the Trojans, there is no wooden horse to deceive us, but rather a false interpretation of love and mercy. Could this end up being just as the famous horse was for Troy? We should remember that there does not exist two groups of Muslims, moderate or fanatic ones, as some would like us to believe. Rather, there are only Muslims – those faithful to the teachings of Allah who exhorts them, for example, to not wane before the enemies: “so do not waver and call for peace while you have the upper hand” (Surah 47:35). If, far from preaching universal love, the Koran incessantly preaches the superiority of the Muslims over all of the other peoples and religions — to whom they must deal out a harsh and unmerciful treatment — this is the same attitude of Allah toward those who despise his admonitions.

On the other hand, we also recall the words of Jesus to the beloved city of Jerusalem: “As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what makes for peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation’” (Lk 19:41-44).

Francis

Quote A

The sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings; Jesus and Mary receive profound veneration and it is admirable to see how Muslims both young and old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfully take part in religious services. (Apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 252)

Quote B

[Esma Cakir]: What was the significance of that moment of such intense prayer that you had in the Mosque? Was it, for you, a way of turning to God? Is there something in particular that you would like to share with us?[Francis]: I went to Turkey as a pilgrim, not a tourist. And I went especially for today’s feast. I went precisely in order to celebrate it with Patriarch Bartholomew. It was for a religious reason. But then, when I entered the Mosque, I couldn’t say: now, I’m a tourist! No, it was completely religious. And I saw that wonder! The Mufti explained things very well to me, with such meekness, and using the Quran, which speaks of Mary and John the Baptist. He explained it all to me…. At that moment I felt the need to pray. So I asked him: “Shall we pray a little?”. To which he responded: “Yes, yes”. I prayed for Turkey, for peace, for the Mufti, for everyone and for myself, as I need it … I prayed, sincerely…. Most of all, I prayed for peace, and I said: “Lord, let’s put an end to these wars!”. Thus, it was a moment of sincere prayer. (In-flight press conference from Istanbul to Rome, November 30, 2014)

Teachings of the Magisterium

Table of contents

I ‒ Sacred Scripture, the only Sacred book: its veracity, validity and divine inspirationII ‒ The Koran: Teachings shared with Christians?III ‒ References to Jesus and Mary in the KoranIV ‒ Regarding the “profound veneration” of Jesus and Mary attributed to the Muslims

I ‒ Sacred Scripture, the only Sacred book: its veracity, validity and divine inspiration

Sacred Scripture– Scripture is inspired by God
– No prophecy in Scripture ever came through human will

Saint Augustine of Hippo– The Scriptures are like letters that come to us from Heaven
– God commanded his own doings and sayings to be written by the disciples for our perusal
– Nonetheless, there are deceivers who make crafty calumnies against the Scriptures

Council of Carthage II (397)– Nothing except Canonical Scriptures can be called the ‘Divine Scriptures’

Catechism of the Catholic Church– Christianity is not a “religion of the book”, but the religion of the Word of God, Jesus Christ

Council of Trent (Ecumenical XIX)– If anyone should not accept the Scriptures as sacred and canonical, let him be anathema

Vatican Council I (Ecumenical XX)-The Scriptures have come to us from the Apostles…

Vatican Council II (Ecumenical XXI)-…and they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and handed on only to the Church
– The study of the Sacred Scriptures is the soul of sacred theology
– Sacred Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching truth which God wanted solidly, faithfully and without error

Origen– The inspiration of Sacred Scripture has been revealed and confirmed since the advent of Christ
– The books of Sacred Scripture are of a style that is divine

I ‒ Sacred Scripture, the only Sacred book: its veracity, validity and divine inspiration

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

No prophecy in Scripture ever came through human will

Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God. (2 Pe1:20-21)

God commanded His own doings and sayings to be written by the disciples for our perusal

Accordingly, He who sent the prophets before His own descent also dispatched the apostles after His ascension. Moreover, in virtue of the man assumed by Him, He stands to all His disciples in the relation of the head to the members of His body. Therefore, when those disciples have written matters which He declared and to them, it ought not by any means to be said that He has written nothing Himself; since the truth is, that His members have accomplished only what they became acquainted with by the repeated statements of the Head. For all that He was minded to give for our perusal on the subject of His own doings and sayings, He commanded to be written by those disciples, whom He thus used as if they were His own hands. (Saint Augustine of Hippo. Harmony of the Gospels, 1, 35, 54)

Nonetheless, there are deceivers who make crafty calumnies against the Scriptures

I heard him, indeed, every Lord’s day, ‘rightly dividing the word of truth’ (Tim 2:15) among the people; and I was all the more convinced that all those knots of crafty calumnies, which those deceivers of ours had knit against the divine books, could be unravelled. (Saint Augustine of Hippo. The Confessions, Book VI, ch. III)

Christianity is not a “religion of the book”, but the religion of the Word of God, Jesus Christ

Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book”. Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, “not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living”. (St. Bernard, S. missus est hom. 4, 11: PL 183, 86) If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open (our) minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Cf. Lk 24:45) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 108)

If anyone should not accept the Scriptures as sacred and canonical, let him be anathema

If anyone, however, should not accept the said books as sacred and canonical, entire with all their parts, as they were wont to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin Vulgate edition, and if both knowingly and deliberately he should condemn the aforesaid traditions let him be anathema. Let all, therefore, understand in what order and in what manner the said Synod, after having laid the foundation of the confession of Faith, will proceed, and what testimonies and authorities it will mainly use in confirming dogmas, and in restoring morals in the Church. (Denzinger-Hünermann 1504-1505. Council of Trent, Session IV, Decree about Canonical Scriptures, April 8, 1546)

Furthermore, this supernatural revelation, according to the faith of the universal Church, as declared by the holy synod of Trent, is contained “in the written books and in the unwritten traditions which have been received by the apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself; or, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have been handed down by the apostles themselves, and have thus come to us” [Council of Trent, see n. 783]. And, indeed, these books of the Old and New Testament, whole with all their parts, just as they were enumerated in the decree of the same Council, are contained in the older Vulgate Latin edition, and are to be accepted as sacred and canonical. But the Church holds these books as sacred and canonical, not because, having been put together by human industry alone, they were then approved by its authority; nor because they contain revelation without error; but because, having been written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and, as such, they have been handed down to the Church itself (can. 4). (Denzinger-Hünermann 3006. Vatican Council I, Session III, Dogmatic constitution Dei Filius, Ch. 2, April 24, 1870)

…and they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and handed on only to the Church

Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see Jn 20:31; 2 Tm 3:16; 2 Pt 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself. In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted. (Vatican Council II. Dogmatic constitution Dei verbum, no. 11, November 18, 1965)

The study of the Sacred Scriptures is the soul of sacred theology

Sacred theology rests on the written word of God, together with sacred tradition, as its primary and perpetual foundation. By scrutinizing in the light of faith all truth stored up in the mystery of Christ, theology is most powerfully strengthened and constantly rejuvenated by that word. For the Sacred Scriptures contain the word of God and since they are inspired, really are the word of God; and so the study of the sacred page is, as it were, the soul of sacred theology. (Vatican Council II. Dogmatic constitution Dei verbum, no. 24, November 18, 1965)

Sacred Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching truth which God wanted solidly, faithfully and without error

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. Therefore ‘all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) (Vatican Council II. Dogmatic constitution Dei verbum, no. 11, November 18, 1965)

The inspiration of Sacred Scripture has been revealed and confirmed since the advent of Christ

These points now being briefly established, viz., regarding the deity of Christ, and the fulfilment of all that was prophesied respecting Him, I think that this position also has been made good, viz., that the Scriptures themselves, which contained these predictions, were divinely inspired — those, namely, which had either foretold His advent, or the power of His doctrine, or the bringing over of all nations (to His obedience). To which this remark must be added, that the divinity and inspiration both of the predictions of the prophets and of the law of Moses have been clearly revealed and confirmed, especially since the advent of Christ into the world. For before the fulfilment of those events which were predicted by them, they could not, although true and inspired by God, be shown to be so, because they were as yet unfulfilled. But the coming of Christ was a declaration that their statements were true and divinely inspired, although it was certainly doubtful before that whether there would be an accomplishment of those things which had been foretold. (Origen. De Principiis, Book IV, no. 6)

The books of Sacred Scripture are of a style that is divine

If anyone, moreover, consider the words of the prophets with all the zeal and reverence which they deserve, it is certain that, in the perusal and careful examination thus given them, he will feel his mind and senses touched by a divine breath, and will acknowledge that the words which he reads were no human utterances, but the language of God; and from his own emotions he will feel that these books were the composition of no human skill, nor of any mortal eloquence, but, so to speak, of a style that is divine. The splendor of Christ’s advent, therefore, illuminating the law of Moses by the light of truth, has taken away that veil which had been placed over the letter (of the law), and has unsealed, for everyone who believes upon Him, all the blessings which were concealed by the covering of the word. (Origen. De Principiis, Book IV, no. 6)

God’s grace illumined the sacred writers until the task is accomplished

If we ask how we are to explain this power and action of God, the principal cause, on the sacred writers we shall find that St. Jerome in no wise differs from the common teaching of the Catholic Church. For he holds that God, through His grace, illumines the writer’s mind regarding the particular truth which, “in the person of God,” he is to set before men; he holds, moreover, that God moves the writer’s will – nay, even impels it – to write; finally, that God abides with him unceasingly, in unique fashion, until his task is accomplished. Whence the Saint infers the supreme excellence and dignity of Scripture, and declares that knowledge of it is to be likened to the “reassure” and the “pearl beyond price,” since in them are to be found the riches of Christ and “silver wherewith to adorn God’s house.” (Benedict XV. Encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus, no. 9, September 15, 1920)

There are many other extraordinary and quite ridiculous things in this book which he boasts was sent down to him from God. But when we ask: ‘And who is there to testify that God gave him the book? And which of the prophets foretold that such a prophet would rise up? They are at a loss. And we remark that Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai, with God appearing in the sight of all the people in cloud, and fire, and darkness, and storm. And we say that all the Prophets from Moses on down foretold the coming of Christ and how Christ God (and incarnate Son of God) was to come and to be crucified and die and rise again, and how He was to be the judge of the living and dead. Then, when we say: How is it that this prophet of yours did not come in the same way, with others bearing witness to him? And how is it that God did not in your presence present this man with the book to which you refer, even as He gave the Law to Moses, with the people looking on and the mountain smoking, so that you, too, might have certainty? They answer that God does as He pleases. This we say, ‘We know, but we are asking how the book came down to your prophet. Then they reply that the book came down to him while he was asleep. Then we jokingly say to them that, as long as he received the book in his sleep and did not actually sense the operation, then the popular adage applies to him (which runs: You’re spinning me dreams.) (Saint John Damascene. On Heresies, no. 105, PG 94, 766)

II —The Koran: Teachings shared with Christians?

Let us now take a look at some of the “sacred” exhortations of the Koran. Do we share the same ones as in the Bible? Remember that the unbelievers and unfaithful are all those who do not follow Allah and his prophet Mohamed, that is, those who do not profess the religion of the Muslims.

9: 12 – But if they violate their oaths after their pledge, and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief-they have no faith-so that they may desist.

9:14 ‒ Fight them! Allah will punish them at your hands, and humiliate them, and help you against them, and heal the hearts of a believing people.

9:23 ‒ O you who believe! Do not ally yourselves with your parents and your siblings if they prefer disbelief to belief. Whoever of you allies himself with them-these are the wrongdoers.

9:29 ‒ Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor abide by the religion of truth-from among those who received the Scripture-until they pay the due tax, willingly or unwillingly.

9:30 ‒ The Jews said, “Ezra is the son of Allah,” and the Christians said, “The Messiah is the son of Allah.” These are their statements, out of their mouths. They emulate the statements of those who blasphemed before. May Allah assail them! How deceived they are!

9:31 ‒ They have taken their rabbis and their priests as lords instead of Allah, as well as the Messiah son of Mary. Although they were commanded to worship none but The One God. There is no god except He. Glory be to Him; High above what they associate with Him.

9:38 ‒ O you who believe! What is the matter with you, when it is said to you, ‘Mobilize [go to war] in the cause of Allah’, you cling heavily to the earth? Do you prefer the present life to the Hereafter? The enjoyment of the present life, compared to the Hereafter, is only a little.

9:39 ‒ Unless you mobilize [go to war], He will punish you most painfully, and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. Allah has power over all things.

9: 73 ‒ O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Their abode is Hell-what a miserable destination!

9:41 ‒ Mobilize [go to war], light or heavy, and strive with your possessions and your lives in the cause of Allah. That is better for you, if you only knew.

9:52 ‒ Say, “Are you expecting for us anything other than one of the two excellences? As for us: we are expecting that Allah will afflict you with a punishment from Himself, or at our hands. So wait, we are waiting with you.”

9: 55 ‒ Let neither their possessions nor their children impress you. God intends to torment them through them in this worldly life, and that their souls depart while they are disbelievers.

9: 123 ‒ Let neither their possessions nor their children impress you. God intends to torment them through them in this worldly life, and that their souls depart while they are disbelievers.

47:4 ‒ When you encounter those who disbelieve, strike at their necks. Then, when you have routed them, bind them firmly. Then, either release them by grace, or by ransom, until war lays down its burdens. Had Allah willed, He could have defeated them Himself, but He thus tests some of you by means of others. As for those who are killed in the way of Allah, He will not let their deeds go to waste.

47:12 ‒ Allah will admit those who believe and do good deeds into gardens beneath which rivers flow. As for those who disbelieve, they enjoy themselves, and eat as cattle eat, and the Fire will be their dwelling.

47:35 ‒ So do not waver and call for peace while you have the upper hand. Allah is with you, and He will not waste your efforts.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

5:51-52: ‒ O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies; some of them are allies of one another. Whoever of you allies himself with them is one of them. God does not guide the wrongdoing people. You will see those in whose hearts is sickness racing towards them. They say, “We fear the wheel of fate may turn against us.”

5:57 ‒O you who believe! Do not befriend those who take your religion in mockery and as a sport, be they from among those who were given the Scripture before you, [Jews and Christians] or the disbelievers.

25:52 ‒ So do not obey the disbelievers, but strive against them with it, a mighty struggle.

The Koran contains quotes or sayings of Mohammed collected after his death and organized without any attempt to present them in an historical order. For this reason, as well as those explained in the post “The Catholic faith has nothing to do with Muslim beliefs”, any of these affirmations could be understood to be the inexorable will of Allah.
One of the trusted authorities of the Hadith, Abu Nu’aym, an esteemed Muslim scholar, reportedly heard the following exhortation directly from the Messenger of Allah: “No one is a believer until their passions and inclinations are similar to the Message that I have brought you.” We have already seen what the Koran exhorts: the desire of death for unbelievers, hatred, the superiority of Muslims over non-Muslims.
And, what could be said of morality? In this case, we are not even going to quote particulars for reasons of decency.

III ‒ References to Jesus and Mary in the Koran

Entering into excessive detail on this score is unnecessary, above all as it is offensive material toward the Son of God and His Immaculate Mother.
We will at least include a short quote from the work: “On Heresies” by Saint John Damascene, Father of the Church, one of the most learned on the theme, being familiar with Islamism for having lived in the city of Damascus, which belonged to the Caliphate.
If anyone wishes to prove the veracity of his words, one only needs to follow the links to the verses of the Koran that have been included alongside the words of St. John Damascene.

And so down to the time of Heraclius they were very great idolaters. From that time to the present a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. This man, after having chanced upon the Old and New Testaments and likewise, it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, devised his own heresy. […]
He says that there is one God, creator of all things, who has neither been begotten nor has begotten. [112:3] He says that the Christ is the Word of God [3:45; 4:171] and His Spirit, but a creature [3:59] and a servant, [4:172; 19:30; 43:59] and that He was begotten, without seed [3:47; 19:19-22; 21:91], of Mary [2:87, 2:53; 3:45; 4:157; 61:6, etc] the sister of Moses and Aaron. [19:28] For, he says, the Word and God and the Spirit entered into Mary [4:171; 21:91; 66:12] and she brought forth Jesus, who was a prophet [3:39, 19:30; etc.] and servant of God.
And he says that the Jews wanted to crucify [4:157] Him in violation of the law, and that they seized His shadow and crucified this. But the Christ Himself was not crucified, he says, nor did He die, [4:157] for God out of His love for Him took Him to Himself into heaven. [4:158] And he says this, that when the Christ had ascended into heaven God asked Him: O Jesus, didst thou say: “I am the Son of God and God”?’ And Jesus, he says, answered: ‘Be merciful to me, Lord. Thou knowest that I did not say this and that I did not scorn to be thy servant. But sinful men have written that I made this statement, and they have lied about me and have fallen into error.’ [5:116; 19:88-91; 39:4; 112:3, etc.] And God answered and said to Him: I know that thou didst not say this word.’ (Saint John Damascene. On Heresies, no. 101, PG 94 766)

It is surprising that Francis considers the following points as “respectful” towards Christ our Lord:a ‒ Denial of the divinity of the Word of God
b ‒ Saying that He himself denied it
c ‒ Placing Him as a servant
d ‒ Denial of His most meritorious and sorrowful Passion
e ‒ Denial of His redeeming death
f ‒ Saying that He has an ordinary place in heaven
g ‒ Denial of His return in glory to judge the living and the dead
h ‒ Distortion of the history and life of His Mother, Maria, Queen of heaven and of earth

Nor should we be surprised that the Koran adopts Christian elements, given that the religion of Mohammed was born six centuries after the expansion of the Church; and that it tore away, by fire and the sword, many lands where the sweet yoke of Christ had reigned before. Nevertheless, such elements do exist, along with Arian, pagan and Zoroastrian heresies.

IV ‒ Regarding the “profound veneration” of Jesus and Mary attributed to the Muslims

Here, The Denzinger-Bergoglio is forced to declare its insufficiency: there is nothing in the Magisterium… nor even in the annals of history that is equipped to deal with this nonsensical affirmation of Francis.
But we do recall some very important citations:

Islam treats the way of true light and salvation with complete contempt

Turks and other infidels […] They treat the way of true light and salvation with complete contempt and totally unyielding blindness; they attack the life-giving cross on which our Saviour willed to accept death so that by dying he might destroy death, and by the ineffable mystery of his most holy life he might restore life; and they make themselves hateful enemies of God and most bitter persecutors of the Christian religion. Strengthened by defences not only spiritual but also temporal, we may be able, under God’s guidance and favour, to oppose the bitter and frequent sallies by which, in wild rage, they move savagely amidst Christian blood. (Lateran Council V, Session XII, Against those attacking the houses of cardinals, March 16, 1517)

Obviously we cannot agree with these various forms of religion, [Judaism, Moslem and Afro-Asiatic] nor can we adopt an indifferent or uncritical attitude toward them on the assumption that they are all to be regarded as on an equal footing, and that there is no need for those who profess them to enquire whether or not God has Himself revealed definitively and infallibly how He wishes to be known, loved, and served. Indeed, honesty compels us to declare openly our conviction that the Christian religion is the one and only true religion, and it is our hope that it will be acknowledged as such by all who look for God and worship Him. (Paul VI. Encyclical Ecclesiam suam, no. 107, August 6, 1964)

There is not one pronouncement on the part of the prophets offering Mohammed any witness

Nor do divine pronouncements on the part of preceding prophets offer him (Mohammed) any witness. On the contrary, he perverts almost all the testimonies of the Old and New Testaments by making them into fabrications of his own, as can be. seen by anyone who examines his law. It was, therefore, a shrewd decision on his part to forbid his followers to read the Old and New Testaments, lest these books convict him of falsity. It is thus clear that those who place any faith in his words believe foolishly. (Saint Thomas Aquinas. Summa contra Gentiles, Book I, ch. 6, no. 4)

Muhammed seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure

The point is clear in the case of Muhammad. He seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh goads us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected, he was obeyed by carnal men. (Saint Thomas Aquinas. Summa contra Gentiles, Book I, ch. 6, no. 4)